Cities & Regions in Portugal

Cascais guide — beaches, Boca do Inferno, Guincho, the marina, and how to get there from Lisbon by train in 40 minutes.

Complete guide to Lisbon — Alfama, Baixa, Belém, Príncipe Real — getting there, transport, food, and where to stay.

Setúbal travel guide — Arrábida Natural Park's limestone cliffs, clear water beaches, dolphin watching on the Sado, and Tróia ferry.

Sintra UNESCO palaces guide — Pena, Regaleira, and the Royal Palace — how to get there, book tickets, and beat the crowds.

Braga travel guide — Bom Jesus do Monte baroque staircase, Portugal's oldest cathedral, Holy Week processions, and 55km from Porto by train.

Guimarães travel guide — UNESCO medieval centre, castle where Portugal began, Paço dos Duques palace, and easy day trip from Porto.

Porto travel guide — Ribeira waterfront, Port wine cellars in Gaia, São Bento station tiles, Douro Valley day trips, and where to stay.

Viana do Castelo guide — Santa Luzia basilica hilltop views, Manueline architecture, Cabedelo surf beach, and the August folk festival.

Aveiro guide — canal tours on painted moliceiro boats, ovos moles sweet pastries, striped Costa Nova beach houses, and 1 hour from Porto by train.

Coimbra guide — one of Europe's oldest universities, the baroque Biblioteca Joanina with its resident bats, Coimbra fado, and the Santa Cruz monastery.

Fátima guide: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of the Holy Trinity, pilgrimage dates, getting there, and where to stay.

Nazaré guide — the underwater canyon that produces record-breaking big waves, Sítio clifftop views, and traditional fishing culture — 2 hours from Lisbon.

Óbidos guide — walk the intact 2km medieval walls, drink ginjinha from chocolate cups, visit the castle pousada, and the Christmas market in December.

Tomar guide — the UNESCO Convento de Cristo, Portugal's greatest Templar monument, the Charola rotunda, Pegões aqueduct, and the Festa dos Tabuleiros.

Évora guide — UNESCO Roman city, Chapel of Bones with 5,000 skulls, neolithic Cromlech of Almendres, Alentejo wine and food — 1h30 from Lisbon.

Albufeira guide — Praia de Falésia's red cliffs, old town, the Strip nightlife zone, water parks, and why May–June beats peak summer.

Faro travel guide — walled old town, bone chapel, Ria Formosa lagoon boat trips, flamingos, and barrier islands — Algarve's capital and airport gateway.

Lagos travel guide — Ponta da Piedade sea stacks and caves by kayak, Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, old town walls, and the western Algarve's best base.

Tavira guide — Roman bridge, Moorish castle, Ilha de Tavira barrier island by ferry, Ria Formosa tuna heritage, and the eastern Algarve at its best.

Almada travel guide — Cristo Rei statue, Cacilhas seafood, and the ferry from Lisbon's Cais do Sodré for the best views of the capital.

Beja guide — Moorish castle with views over the Alentejo plains, cork oak landscapes, the 17th-century Letters of a Portuguese Nun, and 180km from Lisbon.